Wingless, Blind, and Unwanted
by PinkRose0106
Summary: A rewrite for the Deformed trilogy, with a slightly better ending. Caldera is wingless; Jackal is blind; Mallow is utterly unwanted and disliked by her sibs. Three dragonets, all with their own 'deformity.' Together they take on Calcite, a sadistic IceWing who left her home, with words rather than weapons—after a small adventure, of course! (Updated every day; read & review, plz!)
1. Chapter 1 - Welcome to the Sky Kingdom

It was an all-around miserable day in the Sky Kingdom. For everyone. It was stormy, so flying around would be a very dumb idea. That was for the dragons who could fly.

Caldera didn't like the rain because it flooded her home—well, what had been her home. What had once been a whole dug into the ground was now a muddy puddle. It basically summed up her mood—sad and pathetic.

She didn't like days like this. She thought of the prisoners up there, above the arena, so close to the thunder…Caldera didn't like being outside during a storm, much less in high places. Her mind wondered how much dragons were hit by lightning—until she shook her head to clear it and went to find a roof to stay under.

As you can imagine, Caldera didn't really like others. They never judged her, despite her obvious defection. Other dragons usually avoided her; she did the same. Her missing wings—they were only wing buds, really—where either the center of attention or the reason she lacked it. Caldera wanted to know dragons who didn't judge her, didn't mind her defection—friends, through and through.

Caldera eventually found a group of rocks that her small form could fit underneath.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Caldera whimpered, sounding more like a trapped animal than a SkyWing. "Alright, Caldera…let's play a game," Caldera said shakily. "Let's look at the places that the storm has already moved past…yes, that sounds like a good idea." She looked out to the Kingdom of Sea. It looked like the storm was heading in that direction—Poor SeaWings, Caldera thought sympathetically, despite knowing that they were at war. Any other SkyWing would wish for their enemies' doom; Caldera couldn't bring herself to think of harming others.

Caldera looked out towards the Kingdom of Sand. The desert was probably one of the worst places to be; it was hot, wasn't it?

She looked over at the Mud Kingdom. The storm must've just come from there. It looked nice. Warm but not unbearable. She could probably deal with the mud. Maybe the MudWings would be less..stare-y when it came to her wings—or lack thereof. When Caldera thought of MudWings, she thought of sibs, which she normally just associated with lifelong friends that occasionally annoy you to the ends of Pyrrhia. Maybe…maybe she could find a friend there?

Caldera continued looking out at the Mud Kingdom. Eventually the storm rolled out and over the ocean, and she was able to head back to the remains of her home

It, needless to say, was barely a home anymore. The storm had been shorter than some, but it had rained heavier. Caldera dug her claw into the muddy water until she found what she had been looking for; a present from one of her only friends, a SeaWing prisoner who had snuck in a conversation with her before an arena fight. No one thought much of it; who pays attention to the wingless dragonet? It was one of her fondest memories—until it turned into her worst when she remembered he died, having been nearly dead when Queen Scarlet decided it would be 'fun' to have him go against a dragon more than twice his age.

Caldera held the bracelet in her talon. It wasn't anything much, just a simple brown-and-gray adornment. She slipped it on, taken back to a time when she was actually happy. She was only three, but growing up during a war, watching arena battles, drilled certain facts into one's mind.

She knew what tribes were enemies, which one were friends—she pitied them all. Caldera couldn't bring herself to hate anyone who was swept up in this eighteen-year-old war. And it wouldn't end for another two years; how much lives will be lost by then? Caldera wasn't sure if she wouldn't be one of them. Sooner her later her tribe will realize she's…herself, the wingless dragonet.

Caldera shook her head to try to clear it, but the attempt was in vain. She looked back at the Mud Kingdom. Maybe she needed to get away, for a little bit. It wasn't like she was a firescales; she could be around normal dragons if she wanted to. Maybe the MudWings would be more accepting of little oddities like her.

With these thoughts in mind, she started walking in that direction. Maybe she could finally meet some friends…


	2. Chapter 2 - Meeting a MudWing

Caldera was around the border of the Mud and Sky Kingdoms when she ran into her first MudWing. She stood there to look at them, one of the only MudWings she's ever seen before.

The MudWing was female, or at least appeared so, yet strong and tall. Her mainscales represented wet dirt or chocolate, and the rest were a darker brown. Her horns were a yellowish-white color, curving slightly upward.

Neither of them fully paying attention to where they were walking, they ended up bumping into each other.

"Watch it," the MudWing hissed. She looked down at Caldera—she must seem so small and fragile compared to the larger dragon—and her face instantly softened. Something similar to pity showed in her eyes. She was only focusing on Caldera's face; she didn't want to imagine what the MudWing would think when she saw her nonexistent wings. Caldera wondered if she imagined a small hue change in the MudWing's scales.

"Um…hi," Caldera muttered awkwardly. She rarely spoke—she didn't even know what she sounded like. She was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't as youthful as she had feared; she almost sounded like an older dragonet. "I'm Caldera."

"What's a SkyWing doing in the Mud Kingdom?" The MudWing asked, obviously confused and curious.

"What's a MudWing doing on the border of the Mud Kingdom?" Caldera countered smoothly.

"I'm a dragonet-sitter," the MudWing explained. "I'm heading to the home of the dragonet I 'sit." She examined Caldera more closely. She didn't seem fazed by the fact she had no wings. "Speaking of dragonets…what are you doing out here? There aren't any SkyWing villages nearby that I know of. Are you lost? Where's your parents?"

The last question was something Caldera didn't expect to hear. "I'm not lost; I wanted to go to the Mud Kingdom to meet some new dragons. And I don't…have any parents."

The MudWing looked overly sympathetic. It only made Caldera want to know why. "Are you an orphan?" She asked nicely.

"Not exactly," Caldera admitted. She sat down and twined her tail around her wrist, hiding her bracelet without thinking about it. "I don't know who my parents are, or if they're still alive. I'm not sure if anyone does, to be honest."

The MudWing was nice enough not to pry. She held out her talon in a polite gesture that surprised Caldera a little. "I'm Rose Mallow; everyone but my brother calls me Mallow." She said, smiling. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Caldera," the little SkyWing replied. She shook Mallow's talon politely.

"Say, Caldera, do you wanna come with me?" Mallow asked, tilting her head a little. "Like I said earlier, I was going to visit one of the dragonets I 'sit. I'm sure he'd like to meet you."

"How would we get there?" Caldera said, standing up again. "I can't fly." Her wingbuds twitched, as if for emphasis. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize for something you hatched with," Mallow replied. She seemed to speak from experience. She smiled and patted Caldera's head with her wing. "There's a pass up ahead that I use when it's too windy to fly. It doesn't flood easily, surprisingly, so it's good for storms too. We can go through there."

"Alright," Caldera said. She looked up at Mallow. Just…tell me if I start to become a burden; I can go back home."

"You won't be a burden," Mallow reassured her. She began walking, and Caldera followed. "Where do you live?"

"Um, I think my home is just mud now." Caldera said truthfully. "It was basically just a hole in the ground. What about you?"

"I live in a dried mud mound near the border of the Rainforest Kingdom. Right on the edge of a clearing for mock- and play-fights." Mallow replied, seeming to be thinking of something else. "It's pretty big, actually—it could hold me for another fourteen years, probably."

Caldera nodded wordlessly. The two slipped into silence as they entered the pass.


	3. Chapter 3 - Sharing Pasts

Caldera walked a little bit ahead of Mallow, the latter having insisted she stay in front so she could keep an eye on her. The little SkyWing didn't object, but a part of her wondered why Mallow cared so much.

Eventually that part of her decided to speak up. "Why do you treat me so well?" Caldera asked, sounding a bit awkward. She glanced over her shoulder behind her, to look at Mallow.

The MudWing didn't instantly seem to recognize her question, because it took her a few moments to respond. "I…well, to put it simply, something very important happened to me when I was little, and I lost someone I cared about." She replied; she didn't sound like she was completely in the present. "He wasn't very strong. In fact, he was probably one of the weakest dragonets that went to war. My troop was forced out prematurely, before we really knew what we were doing—it was a hard battle, and a major one. He…he died on the battlefield when I wasn't able to protect him." She smiled at Caldera, but it was distant. "Since then…I've been trying to protect and care for whatever dragons I came across, especially if they're younger than me."

"I'm sorry for asking," Caldera said. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"You're fine!" Mallow protested, her smile slowly becoming genuine. "Honestly, it's good to get this off my chest. I don't have a lot of dragons to talk to. Ask me any questions you have on your mind."

"In that case…" Caldera began slowly. "Was he your sibling? Your brother?"

Mallow's smile faltered for a moment. "Yeah, he was." She said quietly. "My littlest bro. He was so…happy. Cheerful. Everyone loved him, I'm sure." She paused. "I have two other sibs; another brother and a sister. I'm the oldest."

"Do you live with them?" Caldera asked, hoping she wasn't prying.

"No," Mallow replied bluntly. "After my littlest brother—I guess I could just call him Frute—died, my other brother—Vervain—and my sis—Flora—sort of…disowned me? Vervain took over the troop and Flora's still with him. Vervain blames me for Frute's death, although he had been closer…" She trailed off.

Caldera didn't know how to respond until a thought crossed her mind. "How long until we're there?"

"Another day or two," Mallow replied, snapping out of her reverie. "The town he lives in is close to the mountains, since it's mainly full of Talons of Peace dragons that somehow avoided siding with any of the sisters."

Caldera nodded.

It was a little while until Mallow spoke up. "Hey, since I told you a little bit about my past—what about yours?" She asked gently, curiously.

"My life isn't very interesting," Caldera protested.

"It can't be much worse than most of the dragons I've met." Mallow replied cheerfully.

"Alright…" Caldera said. "So, essentially, before I even hatched my parents didn't want me. They gave me to an orphanage, but after I hatched the orphanage didn't want me either. They just left me out to die, basically." Her wingbuds twitched, something that occasionally happened when she was annoyed. Her normal cheerfulness wasn't completely present as she continued. "That, as you can tell, didn't happen. I raised myself, watching arena battles when the queen deemed it mandatory. On one such battle, I met a nice SeaWing. He was set to battle, but Queen Scarlet was going on and on about something war-related, so we had a nice chat. He didn't tell me his name—he must've been two, the same age I was at that point. I felt bad for him…he gave me his bracelet. Eventually the queen stopped talking about war matters, and the battle continued…and he died." It was harder than she thought it would be not to cry—one of her only friends, instantly dead. Maybe she was cursed and deformed. "It wasn't fair. The dragon he was up against was much older, more experienced. He only lasted a few moments. All the adults were laughing. After the fight was over and the queen let us leave, I moved to I was farther away. If Queen Scarlet wants everyone to watch an arena battle, I have an excuse not to go—I can't fly and I'm too far away."

"Caldera…" Mallow began. "I know this is probably one of the worst things to say, but…I'm sorry."

"It's alright; it's not your fault," Caldera said. She looked down at her bracelet and slowly regained her cheerful nature. "But enough of that. I think I see the desert. That's our destination, right?"

"Yeah, it is." Mallow replied. She patted Caldera's head with her wing. "Good spotting. Let's make camp for the day and we'll go the rest of the way tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4 - Jackal

Having been used to cool breezes, Caldera might've underestimated how hot the desert would be. Mallow let her hide underneath her wing to shield her from the sun, but it was still uncomfortably warm.

Eventually they reached a little oasis village a day or two after they left the Mud Kingdom. Mallow stopped to knock at a door of a house that was close to the center of the village.

Caldera heard several locks click before the door opened and a female SandWing poked her head out.

"Oh. I was wondering when you'd come." She said in a tone that Caldera could tell was meant to sound sweet, but it came out a little bitter instead. She looked over Caldera a little disapprovingly. "Who's this?"

"This is Caldera," Mallow explained. She looked down at the little SkyWing. "Caldera, this is Saguaro, Jackal's mom."

"Hello," Caldera politely said to the SandWing.

Saguaro either didn't notice or chose to annoy her. "You'll be staying here for a little bit while me and my mate travel." She explained to Mallow. "Don't let him outside the house. He isn't ready for the outside world just yet."

Mallow looked like she was biting down a remark. Caldera watched as Saguaro exited the house, shuffled them inside, and walked away. Mallow closed the door and looked up the staircase.

"Jackal! She's gone now. And I brought someone with me!" She called. She smiled at Caldera as a young SandWing carefully made his way down the steps.

Caldera could guess that he was slightly oddly colored for a SandWing, despite having only seen a few. He was a normal yellow color, maybe a bit less saturated than a typical yellow, with a few scales that were a darker shade of the same color. His horns were also yellowish in hue, not curving a lot. Covering his eyes was a light brown bandana-of-sorts.

"Caldera, this is Jackal." Mallow announced once the dragonet was in front of them. "Jackal, meet Caldera. She's a SkyWing."

Jackal was probably a year older than Caldera, a nice in-between of her and Mallow. "Hey," he said.

"Sorry I didn't warn you," Mallow said. "We met on my way here; I brought her along because I thought you might like a dragon who's slightly more around your age than I am to play with."

"It's fine," Jackal replied. He looked over at Caldera—for someone who had a blindfold on, he could easily detect where she was. "Follow me up to my room."

Caldera nodded while Mallow wandered off near the kitchen. "I'll make us some food while you to get to know each other, alright?" The MudWing said.

Both younger dragonets nodded, and Caldera followed Jackal up the stairs.

The second floor had a large bed, a small bed, and a little nest big enough to hold an egg or two. Closer to the bigger bed was traveling supplies; closer to the smaller bed and nest were crafts and toys that looked like they mainly focused on feeling instead of seeing.

Jackal sat down on the smaller bed and sighed. Caldera simply sat down on the beside him.

"First things first," Jackal began. "This may sound rude, but please don't touch anything. Mother won't be happy to hear that Mallow brought another dragon and then they ruined everything." He paused. "And before you say anything, yes I am technically disabled. I'm not sure if Mallow's told you, but I'm blind."

"I'm not…exactly normal either," Caldera admitted. "I don't have wings—I was born without them."

Jackal flashed her a reassuring and kind smile. "I think we'll get along well, then." He said nicely. "So…what do you think of my home in the few minutes you've been here?"

"I like how big it is," Caldera replied. She looked around to look at the room a bit more. "Are your parents expecting another dragonet?"

"Sort of," Jackal said. "They've wanted one for a while, but if Mother's with an egg, she's decided not to tell me. She's good at hiding things. And Father won't tell me because she probably won't even tell him."

"Rough family?"

"Well…to be honest, Mother's always yelling at me or Father when she's home. I only see them for three months at a time. Mallow more-or-less raised me. I'm a little mature for my age as a result."

Caldera nodded, and Mallow came up the stairs with a little tray of meat and dried fruit. She sat it down at a small table, and the three sat together to eat.


	5. Chapter 5 - Discussing Plans

After eating, the three of them went outside to the yard that seemed a bit large for a family of three. It was probably large enough to fit twenty full-grown dragons just from one side of the wall to the parallel fence. While it may not mean a lot to the bigger dragons, it made Caldera seem very small.

"Alright, what do you guys wanna do?" Mallow asked. She sat in the center of the yard with Jackal and Caldera facing her.

"What do you normally do?" Caldera said, looking over at them. "We can go from there."

"I like playing make-believe and going on small adventures," Jackal said. He almost sounded a bit embarrassed to admit it.

"Didn't you say you found a map last time I was here?" Mallow asked him.

"Yeah, but…I doubt it leads anywhere." Jackal replied.

"How far away is it?" Mallow said.

"It—how do you expect me to know where it led?" Jackal said, stuttering over his words a little.

"Oh, right." Mallow replied, looking a little annoyed with herself. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget you're blind. I can't ever really believe it." Jackal muttered something as Mallow stood up, but Caldera couldn't tell what it was. "Alright, I'll go back inside and see if I can find it. I'll be right back." With that, she flicked her tail and left.

Caldera looked over at Jackal, meaning to ask why he looked slightly horrified, but it looked like he didn't want to talk about it.

Instead, Caldera asked, "Are you alright?"

"Never better," Jackal snapped. He paused. "Sorry. I just…get really annoyed sometimes. When you're in my position, there's a lot of things to hate."

"It can't be completely bad," Caldera said. "A bickering family is better than none, right?"

"My parents…really aren't my main issue." Jackal replied, not looking at her.

Mallow came back before Caldera could question the SandWing. The MudWing had brought a map with her, and was looking over it.

"This isn't that far from here, actually." Mallow said quietly, almost to herself. "If we doubled back the way we came, through the mountains, we'd get there in no time."

"Where is it?" Caldera asked.

"One of the mountains closer to the Mud Kingdom," Mallow replied. "It shouldn't take too long to get there and back; probably only a week or two."

"What about your sibs, though?" Jackal said. "I'm ninety percent confident that they still hate you."

Mallow flicked her tail. "We'll be fine. And even if we do come across them, I know what to say to make Vervain back off."

"What if he attacks?" Jackal asked, clearly skeptical.

"He won't." Mallow argued. "Do you want to get out of the house or what? Last time I visited you were excited to leave."

"Is it because of me?" Caldera asked Jackal. "Am I just…being a letdown? Nuisance? I can leave."

"Of course it's not you." Jackal replied, his earlier annoyance returning. "Like I said, I have a lot of things on my mind. It's not that I don't want to go"—he looked at Mallow—"but I'm just…a bit worried. For various reasons. One of which in particular I'm not comfortable sharing."

"You can tell us anything," Mallow said kindly. She sat a wing on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off. "I know that. You're kindness is exactly what I don't want."

"Jackal—" Mallow began.

"Continue planning without me. Tell me if you decide to go or not." The SandWing stood up, ducking behind and around Mallow to avoid her, and went back into the house. Caldera was concerned, but a small part of her wondered how he dodged the MudWing so skillfully; if he was blind and couldn't see her.

Mallow sighed. "Sorry about that. Something must really be troubling him."

"It's alright," Caldera replied. "Will he be okay?"

"In a hour or two, yeah." Mallow said. "Let's just give him some space. He'll come around eventually."

Caldera nodded. Mallow bring the map closer to her and they discussed the route and supplies needed.


	6. Chapter 6 - One Secret Shared

Eventually it was decided that they would go, with Jackal's consent. Caldera noted that Mallow hadn't once mentioned the fact that Saguaro had told them not to let Jackal out of the house. Being the youngest of the three, Caldera figured it wasn't her place to step in.

"Can you go get Jackal?" Mallow asked. "I'll start collecting everything."

"Shouldn't you get him?" Caldera said.

"Sometimes me being there makes him more annoyed," Mallow explained.

Caldera nodded and followed the MudWing inside the house, but went upstairs instead of wandering through the kitchen.

Jackal was sitting on his bed, looking—almost as if in pity—at the empty nest.

"Are you alright?" Caldera asked, coming a little closer.

"No. No I'm not." Jackal replied bluntly. He looked at her—again, he seemed to know exactly where she was despite not being able to see him. "I've had to hide a lot of my feelings and thoughts, especially around my parents. Sometimes I just…get reminded of the wrong secret. Or an old fear pops up. And then I can't stop thinking about it."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Caldera said.

"Suffice to say, I occasionally get…a bit scared of myself sometimes." Jackal said, looking down at his talons. He stayed silent for a few minutes. He looked back at Caldera. "Anyway. Did you decide if we're going or not?"

"Yeah. Mallow's collecting stuff now," Caldera replied.

"Cool. I'll go try to help; could you gather up bags? They should be just over there." Jackal said, pointing to his parents' bed.

Caldera nodded, murmuring an agreement, and Jackal flashed her a smile and got up. He walked back downstairs. Caldera gathered what items she assumed they needed—bags, mostly, a few water cases—and went back downstairs as well.

Jackal and Mallow were having a murmured conversation, most likely about his earlier outburst. The conversation ended with a quiet "Sorry" from Jackal and a pat from Mallow.

Caldera brought them the bags, and Mallow smiled.

"Thanks, Caldera," Mallow said. "These'll do. We'll pack everything up today, then leave tomorrow, since it's getting late. Once everything is packed I'll roast some dinner."

"But you can't breathe fire," Jackal said.

Mallow gave him a look that Caldera didn't completely understand. Jackal just blinked at her.

"Wait, you're implying you didn't tell her." Jackal said, looking at Mallow and flicking his tail. "Silence means a lot."

"The opportunity never came up," Mallow replied.

"What did you not tell me?" Caldera asked.

Mallow looked at her, opened her mouth, then closed it again. It took her a few minutes to find her words. "I can't breathe fire, because I'm a hybrid." She said, shrinking back a little. "Sorry for not telling you earlier."

Caldera just looked at her for a few moments. "You don't…look like a hybrid," she said.

"For better or worse," Mallow sighed. "I'm not completely MudWing—I'm half RainWing, too. Like you, I didn't know my parents; however, I don't know them because they both died shortly after I hatched."

"Do you have any other hybrid-like features?" Caldera asked, hoping to get an answer to the question that's been slightly bugging her. "Every now and then I see your scales shift colors a little, to a darker or lighter shade of brown."

"Observant," Jackal muttered.

"Sometimes my scales change a little depending on my mood, like a normal RainWings." Mallow said, obviously happy Caldera didn't snap at her. "They don't always change when I want them to, though."

It's nice to know I wasn't going insane, Caldera thought. She smiled so then Mallow knew she was grateful for the response.

"I'll start up a fire for dinner," Mallow said. "It's getting late. Can you two get everything else ready?"

Jackal and Caldera both nodded, and bent down to put the rest of the stuff away (Jackal held the bags open while Caldera sorted through everything and put it in it's respective bag).


	7. Chapter 7 - A Peak Into Mallow's Past

(Violence warning!)

As Mallow had said, they ate dinner, played a few games, then slept to rest up for the next day.

Caldera was woken up early the next day.

"Come on, get up; I never said when we'd leave, just that we'd leave today."

Caldera opened her eyes, having gone to sleep in a small pile of blankets that had been her bed. It looked like Mallow was the only one wide awake; Jackal still looked asleep. Or maybe he was faking it. Caldera wasn't sure.

"What time is it?" Caldera asked.

"An hour or two after sunrise," Mallow replied. "We have to leave early if we want to avoid anyone questioning us. Luckily, not much people here will recognize Jackal, so we should be fine as long as you say underneath my wing to avoid glares."

"Wouldn't a SkyWing dragonet hiding underneath a MudWing's wing be something to glare at?" Caldera said.

"Not as much as a wingless dragonet. No offense." Mallow said, patting Caldera's head with her wing.

Caldera just shrugged as a reply. "I guess that makes sense," she said.

The attention turned to Jackal as the blind SandWing rolled over and sat up. "I'm up," he muttered. "I may not be fully awake yet, but I'm up."

"You can form sentences without slurring your words, so you're fine with me." Mallow told him. "I'll go fetch us some breakfast and then we'll leave, okay?"

Both dragonets nodded, and the hybrid when downstairs.

"She gets food a lot," Caldera observed.

"She's sort of the only one who can," Jackal replied. "Whenever I offer, she declines. I guess it makes her feel productive since all she ever does is play with me. It probably makes her feel more like a bigwings, getting food for the younger two." He paused. "How much did she tell you, anyway? About her past? Her being a hybrid was one of the first things she told me—granted, it was in the context of a story, but eventually she confirmed it to be the truth."

"Mallow told me that something important happened when she was little, and she lost her littlest brother. After that, her remaining two sibs 'disowned' her." Caldera replied, looking over at him.

Jackal shook his head. "Moons," he muttered. He looked at her. "Do you want to know what really happened? It might be a bit much."

"If it helps me become a better friend, yes," Caldera said. She wanted to be a good friend, she didn't want to mess up her first true, permanent friendship. She touched her bracelet, something she almost forgot existed. It was a sign of the one time she could've done something, anything, but instead she stayed silent.

Jackal seemed to notice her sudden detachment, but continued on nonetheless. "When Mallow was around two, her and her sibs were thrown into one of their first war-fights. Mallow and Vervain had never quite gotten along, due to the fact that she didn't help them out of their eggs. But Flora and Frute usually sided with Mallow when arguments broke out.

"Anyway, during the fight, Frute was injured. Vervain blamed this on Mallow's 'do what you want, when you want' schedule. It wasn't fatal—that injury was yet to come—but Vervain took it as a sign that Mallow wasn't a good bigwings. After the battle ended, Vervain challenged Mallow to a fight similar to when a queen and heir fight for the throne. She referred to it as 'the battle for bigwings.'

"Mallow lost, having gained lots of injuries that have healed since then. Vervain took on the role of bigwings, and Flora quietly agreed with him—Frute, however, didn't like the idea. He talked with Mallow, but she convinced him to go back to their old home.

"She wasn't sure if it was unintentional or something more…self-inflicted, but Mallow found out that in the next battle after that—one of which she had been disallowed to join—Frute died. Or at least, that's what everyone assumed; when Mallow, Vervain, and Flora came back to bury his body, it was gone. Mallow spent the next year traveling around, until she stumbled upon my parents. That's when she became my dragonet-sitter."

Some point during the story, Mallow had come up with breakfast—she looked almost thankful towards Jackal, as if she couldn't have told the story herself. Jackal seemed to smile back, even though he couldn't see her expression.

Caldera looked over at Mallow. She wanted to reassure her friend but didn't have the words.

"It's alright," Mallow said. "You don't have to say anything. Let's just eat and get going. Then on the way you can recount your own past to Jackal—if you're comfortable with it."

Caldera nodded in response. Mallow gave her a small desert rabbit (if such things existed) with berries as a side, and gave herself and Jackal a normal desert rabbit. The three ate in relative silence.


	8. Chapter 8 - Heartfelt Moments

The trio made their way outside of the house, Mallow waving to whatever dragons were up this early. Caldera stayed beneath her wing, as promised, and Jackal followed behind. For someone who had supposedly never left this house before, he was acting rather calm and seemed to know where he was going, rarely flanking Mallow to steady his course.

Eventually, they made their way to a less populated area, and Mallow looked down at Caldera.

"Alright, you can come out now if you'd like," she said. "You can also explain a bit more about yourself, for Jackal—if you're willing to, of course."

Caldera didn't realize she had been dreading this moment. She wasn't sure why—she already told it to Mallow once, and she knows Jackal better than she had the hybrid when she first told her. Either way, she began, "I was told that my parents didn't want me, even before I hatched. They sent my egg to an orphanage, then they moved or died, because no one's heard of them since. When I hatched, well…the orphanage had a reputation to uphold, and they didn't want me to ruin it. Their solution? Toss the newborn dragonet into the field and watch her die.

"I learned all I know from travelers and arena battles. I would run halfway across the kingdom just so then I could attend an arena battle when the queen demanded it mandatory. I had stumbled across the orphanage I was sent to one day—they were surprised to see me, and they told me about my parents, but they wouldn't take me back because they were shutting down.

"Once day, when I was two, I went to an arena battle. Queen Scarlet was talking about something that I think was related to the war. A young SeaWing—he wasn't much older or younger than me at that point—came over to me, and he gave me this bracelet." Caldera lightly touched her bracelet, biting back tears. Mallow rested a reassuring wing on her shoulder.

"He promise he'd get out of the arena and return for it," she continued, "but…he never did. I watched him die, then and there. It wasn't a fair fight—I don't think those arena battles ever are—but the adults just laughed. I don't know what they did with his remains, but if I did I would've returned the bracelet. It seemed important to him. After that, I ran as far as I could. No one misses me, I'm sure. I moved a bit closer to the Diamond Spray Delta, closer to the MudWings."

Caldera finished with a long, shaky breath and a thin line of tears running down her face.

It was obvious that words of assurance wasn't Mallow nor Jackal's strong suit. Jackal didn't even make any move to comfort her—but he did seem to care, just not visibly. Mallow wordlessly paused to hug Caldera briefly. It was an odd gesture that Caldera had never experienced before, at least not in complete kindness.

They continued walking on in silence. None of them had anything to talk about—and none of them knew how to break the somber mood that had settled over them. Caldera guessed that her past was one of the darker ones.

Eventually night fell, hours later, and they set up a small camp. Still, no one spoke. All of them seemed lost in their own thoughts.

"What happened to your parents, Mallow?" Caldera asked quietly. "Did they…leave you, like mine did to me?"

"My parents died soon after I hatched," Mallow replied. She started a small fire with some wood she had brought, so they could see. "My mother, according to an old acquaintance, died while fighting—she needed to chose between her sibs or her love, so she chose neither and gave up willingly in the next war battle. My father was killed by one of my aunts, since she blamed him for my mother's death. I was told my parents planned on raising me and my sibs, going against the traditions of both their tribes. That never happened."

Caldera was sad for her friend, despite having expected that answer. "What about your parents, Jackal? Do they treat you well?"

"Well enough," Jackal said. "Neither of them are ever home, really, so I'm not sure. Overprotective would be a good word for my mother. Nonexistent would be a good word for my father. I've never really thought about it much."

"You know what, guys?" Caldera asked, looking at Mallow and Caldera. Unique, like her—maybe she wasn't deformed, just…unfortunate. Was that any better? Maybe it was a good thing she didn't have wings.

"What is it?" Mallow said, seeming slightly concerned.

"I never wanted parents, or siblings, because I knew they'd treat me the same as everyone else, if not worse." Caldera began, looking up at the moons. "But I have always wanted friends…and I think I've found them. We may have just met, but I have a good feeling about this."

Jackal smiled. "You're not too bad yourself," he said. Mallow smiled and nodded in agreement.

I may not have family, Caldera thought, but I have friends.

Maybe…maybe I really can be accepted somewhere, someday. I might not have wings, but I'm still a dragon, no better or less than anyone else. In a way…I do have wings…


	9. Chapter 9 - Violent Thoughts

(Minor gore/violence warning! This is also the start of part two!

Ever since he was two, Jackal was afraid of himself. It wasn't irrational, either. It wasn't some childish nightmare. No, it was much more real than that. Jackal was scared of genuinely harming someone, mentally or physically. Why? It was simple.

Jackal was an animus.

He didn't know what that meant, at first. Then his young mind opened up to the possibilities—and the threats. One of the only times he used his magic was to grant himself sight. Not complete sight; only a few feet ahead of him, in grayscale. Jackal didn't think it was too much. He enchanted it on the piece of fabric he always wore. It was never questioned, never thought of. He taught himself how to read and write should the need arise.

Jackal still didn't like being so far from the village though. He wasn't worried about his mother, who'd just say "Don't do it again or else" and leave it at that. No, he was afraid of going insane. Sure, he'd only cast a few spells, most of them safeguards to make sure he wouldn't hurt anyone. But who's to say that would work?

Sometimes he could forget. But other times…he has nightmares. This was the case on that particular night, sitting by a dwindling campfire away from home with his only two friends on either side of him.

Jackal looked at the colorless flame. In his nightmare…he killed them. Everyone. Mallow, Caldera, his parents, even those he's only seen outside his window. It didn't help that his nightmares tend to be vivid and realistic. It made him glad he didn't know what the color of blood was.

He looked at the flame until it finally died. The moons were shining overhead; it must've been close to midnight. Jackal didn't want to go back to sleep. He looked down at his talons.

"I'm one of the things parents tell their children to avoid at all costs. That thing that can do anything, at the price of their sanity," he whispered. "And I hide it all with the idea that I can't see. Everyone thinks I'm blind…but I'm not. I can see, just not perfectly."

Jackal heard one of his friends stir. He looked over, noticing that Caldera was slowly moving from her position under Mallow's wing. A question came into mind for her, so he wanted until she sat up, blinking sleepily.

"Bad dream?" He asked, reassurance in his voice despite him wanting only for the conversation to begin.

"No, I just…woke up. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping after an eventful day." Caldera said quietly. "What about you?"

"I'm just thinking," Jackal replied.

"About what? If you don't mind me asking?" Caldera said. She seemed ready to help. Jackal didn't really like that.

Jackal sighed. "If…if I asked you to…to kill me…would you?" He looked at his talons. "Please. I—I need to know."

"I don't think I'd be able to," Caldera replied. "I can barely kill a rabbit without feeling some sort of regret. How could I kill a friend?"

"What if you had to?" Jackal insisted. "What if I did something horrible and threatened the kill everyone. Would you kill me then? To save countless other dragons?"

"There are other ways to prevent catastrophe than death. Many other ways." Caldera said, coming a little closer to him. He pushed her away again by putting his barbed—but useless, thanks to an enchantment—tail between them. "What's on your mind, Jackal? Maybe I can help."

Jackal didn't look at her when he replied. "It's just…one of my secrets. I'm scared of myself, Caldera. I can hurt others, friends and strangers. At just a moment's notice I can snap, and then you'd be the first one dead. Then Mallow. Then Mother. Then Father. Then whoever else tries to stop me. But they won't be able to, because I wouldn't listen to reason. I would just…kill. Until someone kills me."

"You're not a monster," Caldera said.

"How do you know?" Jackal snapped, his voice cracking, sounding harsh. He had to get a grip on his emotions, he wasn't normally so upset. Tears threatened to fall, except they would never hit the ground because of the fabric covering his eyes. Then he would have to take it off when it got wet and he would have to deal with what he was born with.

"Both me and Mallow are here if you want to talk about it," Caldera replied. She didn't seem to mind his harshness; of course she didn't. She was probably used to it. Jackal felt a bit of guilt, which only added to the mess of emotions already boiling inside him. He took off his blindfold-of-sorts, throwing it in the general direction of the dead fire. He heard Caldera shuffling, and he sat there and let himself cry.


	10. Chapter 10 - Unwanted Pity

(Death is mentioned in this chapter, in the same context as precious chapter.)

Jackal stared at an object he couldn't see. He never did go back to sleep. If he did, he didn't notice it—but the world was dark, so he couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed.

He heard Mallow and Caldera waking up and wiped away the few tears that were still falling. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see their expressions or not—he probably looked miserable.

Mallow confirmed it when she shuffled some more, and sleepily asked, "Are you okay, Jackal?"

The kindness and genuine concern in her voice made him want to start crying again. Jackal, not wanting to speak lest he sounded as scared as he felt, just shook his head 'no.'

"He's been 'thinking' all night." Caldera helpfully said. He heard her coming closer to him, hesitantly, and he felt a bit guilty for lashing out at her the night before. Jackal let her rest a talon on his shoulder. "Do you wanna tell Mallow? You two know each other better than I do."

Jackal knew that if he asked Mallow the same question he asked Caldera last night—any of them, really—she wouldn't take it well. In any direction. Any and all mentions of death of a friend or family member wasn't taken well by the hybrid.

He opened his mouth, intending to say "It's nothing," when he realized that would just concern Mallow, so he closed it again. Eventually, he said, "C-can you get my blindfold? I took off last night, thinking it would help me sleep." The last part was a lie, of course. Jackal hoped neither of them would notice.

"Of course," Mallow said. She sounded concerned. "Same spot as always?"

"Yes, please." Jackal replied, nodding in the direction her voice came from—Caldera made a 'hmmm' noise, but it was barely audible. He heard Mallow moving around, and as soon as the fabric touched his scales, his impaired vision returned. He caught his sigh of relief a bit too late, but neither of the girls seemed to notice. Once Mallow was done tying it, Jackal looked back at her—and instantly regretted it.

His dragonet-sitter was looking at him with the type of worried expression he'd grown to dislike. "Are you okay?" The question demanded an answer this time. "You never take off that piece of fabric. Ever."

Jackal sighed. 'No, I'm not okay. No, I don't want to talk about it." Everything always sounded harsher when he didn't think before he spoke. By now he was just…rambling. "You can't help me. Neither of you. Think what you want to, but you can't. I can't be fixed." He shoved Mallow and Caldera out of the way. "And I'm not talking about me being blind, because—" he caught himself right before he said 'I'm not.' After a short pause, he continued, "because that isn't the problem."

"Then what is?" Caldera asked quietly.

"I'm not comfortable sharing," Jackal replied. "We've gone over this."

"Whatever it is, it's been bugging you for a while," Mallow said. Jackal silently cursed as he remembered that she'd obviously notice any odd behavior—she was born a bigwings, after all. She reached out to him before pulling back again. "I'm always open for venting or anything." Caldera nodded and murmured an agreement.

Jackal wasn't sure if he wanted to thank them or tell them he didn't need help. Instead, his mind wandered to his conversation with Caldera—he knew the outcome, but he wanted to know the answer. "Hey Mallow," he said. "If…if I asked…would you kill me? Or if you had no other choice?"

Mallow's expression changed to a different type of pity, more understanding. "Is that what this is about?" She asked softly. "Well, the answer is no." It sounded like she wanted to add more, but the words died before she could speak them.

"Do you think…I'm a monster?" Jackal knew the answer to this one, yet he asked it anyway. He felt like a much younger dragonet.

"Of course not," Mallow replied. "Why would you assume that?"

"B-because…I think I am." Jackal said, looking down at his talons. "I've told you about some of the nightmares I have…about a year ago. I've been having those dreams for two years by now. In the dreams, I'd kill…everyone. And I'd be happy about it. I start starting wondering…if the version of me in the dream will actually become a reality someday."

"Trust me, out of all the dragons I know, you're one of the least likely to ever kill anyone," Mallow said. It meant to be reassuring, but that isn't how Jackal heard it. "Don't worry about it. If something's still bugging you, we can stop and talk about it, okay?"

Jackal nodded.

"I'll get us some breakfast and then we'll continue following the map," Mallow said. Caldera murmured an agreement—something Jackal was beginning to think she only did around him—and Jackal nodded again. He watched Mallow smile big-sisterly and wander around to find some prey.


	11. Chapter 11 - Reaching Their Destination

(Beware minor misinformation concerning Jade Mountain.)

It only took them a few more days before they reached their destination, passing the time listening to Mallow's stories—a few of which that actually happened, if her other stories about four MudWing sibs were any indication—and enjoying themselves. It kept Caldera from apologizing for their slowness because of them needing to walk (although if it was just Mallow and Jackal they wouldn't be able to fly anyway, since Jackal never learned how), and it kept Jackal from thinking too much about how far away the last village was.

Mallow deduced they were looking for a cave rather than an entire mountain. Closer to the Mud Kingdom—closer than Jackal liked, with the way Mallow normally described her only living brother—the cave the were looking for faced the tallest mountain; Jade Mountain, if Jackal remembered correctly.

Surprisingly enough, there weren't a lot of dragons here. It was around midday when they stopped, and Mallow announced they were near their destination. It didn't appear like anything special, but neither of the girls seemed to mind. They continued chatting while they set up a small camp, Jackal staring absently at the ground since a blind dragonet wouldn't be much help.

"It looks like it's going to rain," Caldera observed. She didn't sound happy.

"There's a cave right over there, if you don't want to get wet." Mallow replied, sitting down next to Jackal. The makeshift camp was set up—it was really just logs and stones for a fireplace, with the bags beside the dragonets. The MudWing hybrid looked over at Jackal. "You could too," she offered. She began to make a gesture and then stopped herself when she remembered he shouldn't be able to see it.

Looking behind them, Jackal could see that there was a cave. He looked back towards the wood that would eventually be the fire, and noticed Caldera looking at him. He wanted to tell her to stop, but then he'd have to explain. And he wasn't ready for that yet.

Caldera's prediction had been correct, because it eventually started raining a little. Both Jackal and Caldera went into the small cave behind them—Jackal did because he didn't like his blindfold getting wet, but he wasn't quite sure why Caldera disliked it. Maybe it had something to do with personal experiences. Mallow came a bit closer but didn't completely go inside, instead embracing the cold droplets of water falling from the sky. Jackal noticed her scales changing into a brighter shade of gray; to anyone else, it probably looked like a bright brown, which—if he was told about the color spectrum correctly—was the closest she could get to yellow with her muted scales.

They sat like that for a little bit, the air getting colder than what Jackal was used to; Mallow noticed, and moved the logs and fire-starting equipment into the cave.

"Tell me if you need help starting the fire," she said.

Jackal nodded. "Thanks," he replied.

"No problem." Mallow said, smiling. She went back outside, and Jackal wondered if she did that every time it rained. Saying he had only ever seen her inside, in the middle of a desert, it was possible.

Jackal noticed Caldera looking at the Sky Kingdom. Her wingbuds twitched, and she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Are you alright?" Jackal asked, not entirely used to seeing dragons just…sitting there.

"Yeah," Caldera replied. She sounded distant. With his experience of dragons sounding distant—whether it be his parents or Mallow—it normally meant they were dwelling on something they shouldn't be. Jackal was sure he did it too, honestly. "I'm just thinking."

"What about?" Jackal said, genuinely curious. "If you don't mind me asking." Moons, was it just him or was that phrase used a lot? Especially when he was involved?

"I was just wondering…if I'd want to go back home after this," Caldera said. "There won't be much home to go to. Do you think your parents would let me stay with you? Or maybe Mallow would let me stay with her?"

"I won't protest to company," Mallow said. She must've just barely been able to hear their conversation; it was raining hard now.

Caldera flashed a grateful look at her. She gently touched her bracelet—something Jackal kept on forgetting—and continued, "I doubt anyone would miss me. My problem is with the war…I feel like I'd see more fights if I lived with Mallow, and I feel like I'd just be a burden to your parents."

"My parents don't fight in the war," Jackal said. "They just travel around a lot. My father works with the Talons of Peace occasionally; my mother does the same for the Outclaws every now and then. I don't think any of them have actually seen a difficult battle. The place I live in supports Burn, for the most part, but there's never been any major raids or anything besides a few thieves."

Caldera nodded, and continued staring back at her old home. Jackal wondered if she would go back, once they return him back to his home. Maybe she would, maybe she wouldn't. It would depend on if she wanted to. A part of him wanted her to stay with Mallow—life in the Sky Kingdom sounded worse than what he had originally guessed it as.


	12. Chapter 12 - Calcite

(Uh…this chapter is slightly violent? From this point on, just assume it'll be mildly violent.)

Jackal must've fallen asleep at some point, because he woke up colder than he had before. An odd version of fear seized his tired mind, but it faded as he woke up and heard shallow breathing, like the dragon had been told to always stay silent.

Opening his eyes, still a bit sleepy, he looked at the dragon—an IceWing, if the rare pictures he'd seen and his parents' vivid descriptions were any indication. Almost casually, he remembered that IceWings were on the other side of the war than what Burn was on. This thought woke Jackal up completely, the dragonet rolling out of reach and standing up.

He looked around for Mallow and Caldera, and settled down a little when he saw they had the same confused looks on their faces as they felt. Jackal turned back to the IceWing, and noticed she had been reaching for the spot where his head probably was. She wanted my blindfold, Jackal thought.

"Who are you, why are you in a cave with us, and why haven't you killed us yet?" Jackal decided to fit all three logical questions into a nonsense-sounding sentence.

"I'm Calcite, I live here, and I haven't decided how to best go about that last question." The IceWing replied matter-of-factly.

"How do you live here? Why do you live here?" This time, Mallow quizzed their unwanted guest. "We're a desert away from the Ice Kingdom."

The IceWing—Calcite—seemed to be amused by their questions. It made Jackal slightly more annoyed. "I never quite…belonged here. Long story short, I didn't grow up in this dull place. But I—what do you call it? Oh, yes—'moved' to Pyrrhia. I heard there was a war, and I rather enjoy violence."

Caldera was looking at Calcite like she was dead and rotting—Mallow walked over to comfort her and Jackal began to do the same. The look on the SkyWing's face was a combination of disgust and pure terror. Jackal stood reassuringly beside her while Mallow patted her with her wing.

"Oh," Calcite said. She tilted her head to the side, in such a way it didn't look possible. "You're not apart of those pacifist group are you? What were they called? 'The Talons of Peace?' Oh, yes, that sounds right…" She paused, either considering her next words or otherwise lost in thought.

"I'm not afraid to do what I can to protect my friends," Mallow growled. "So get out before I do something that'll really hurt—for you."

"On the contrary," Calcite said, walking a bit closer. She stopped in front of Caldera, making the small SkyWing whimper, and placed a serrated claw near Caldera's neck. Mallow's growl grew deeper, and Jackal found himself wondering how good he'd be in a fight. "You're forgetting that I said I lived here." The IceWing hissed, and her non-threatening voice vanished, replaced instead by a cold tone Jackal was glad he'd never heard before. "Now beat it before I happily slash the SkyWing's throat."

Caldera whimpered again, Mallow hissed, and Jackal was sincerely considering stabbing Calcite with his tail—even if it would only hurt, and if it might make him have to explain his animus powers to his friends. If she tries, I'll stab her so we can get away, he decided.

Calcite continued to stare at the dragonets. Eventually she pulled her claw away and stepped back to observe all of them. "Actually…killing you would be rather dull, wouldn't it?" Her voice was back to being semi-cheerful in a disturbing way, but her expression was closer to a hunger of sorts, if Jackal had to guess. "How old are you three?"

Mallow looked at the two, who both nodded—Jackal had forgotten, for a moment, that he shouldn't be able to see them. No one seemed to notice except for Caldera, who made that same thoughtful-sounding noise that she had made a few days ago. Mallow looked back at Calcite, and Jackal wondered if he was imagining the small bit of fear in her voice: "I'm six, Jackal is four, and Caldera is three. My name's Rose Mallow, not very happy to meet you."

"Okay," Calcite said. She seemed to look a bit disappointed for a moment before cheering up again. "I can work with this. Now, I have something fun planned. I'll be back; don't even think about leaving this cave, or you might find yourself unable to wake up from your next nap."

And with that, she flicked her tail and left.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Start of a Journey

Almost as soon as the IceWing left, Mallow and Jackal turned to Caldera. The small SkyWing seemed to be reliving some very unpleasant moments.

"I'm alright." She said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Mallow asked, bending down a little so she could look directly at Caldera. "It's okay if you're not; I'm not following some IceWing's orders. I'm a MudWing, for moons sake! We protect are sibs, and in my case, our friends."

Caldera smiled a little. "Thanks," she murmured. "But two of the three of us can't fly, so we won't be able to get far." She looked over to Jackal, and he remembered that he hadn't been extremely cautious.

"Whatever you say, I have a perfectly valid reason for." Jackal said quickly. Caldera had been paying attention; she seemed like the type of dragon who'd learn things easily. "And whatever that reason is, I have a perfectly valid reason not to say it in front of a random IceWing who may or may not be standing just out of eyesight."

"Why—" Caldera began, pausing before reconsidering her words. "How did you nod at Mallow? If you can't see her and thus can't tell she was asking silent permission?"

And of course she asked the question Jackal had been avoiding for the past two years. Mallow's attention was on him now as well, and he shrunk back a little. "C-can I tell you when you bring me back home?" Jackal asked, hoping to postpone the answer so he could figure out how to best explain.

"No," Caldera replied. "Because I've also noticed that you don't move as confidently without your…whatever you call that piece of fabric over your eyes." She gestured to his blindfold.

"I call it a blindfold," he explained.

Caldera nodded in acknowledgment, but apparently she wasn't done with her kind-sounding accusations. "I also think it has something to do with why you can't sleep, why you're having nightmares. It's also the reason why you're scared of yourself." She sighed. "If you don't want to completely explain now, that's fine. But I just want to understand the situation…because maybe then I could help more. At least prove or disprove my thoughts, and then we can wait until you're back home to finish the rest."

Jackal tried to find a way to explain when, thankfully, Calcite came back so he had a valid reason not to. The trio turned to the IceWing, but not before Caldera could sigh and give Jackal a "I expect an answer eventually" look—he wasn't sure how he felt about her knowing he could see it.

"Alright, I finally know what to do with you three." Calcite said, walking to the center of the cave. She waited a few moments, as if for a response, then flicked her tail and frowned. "I know I don't seem trusting—war and alliances and all that nonsense—but I want to get to know you." She pointed at Mallow. "You. How good are you in a fight?"

"I could probably kill you if I wanted to." Mallow replied casually. Jackal noticed that Caldera seemed to flinch at how easily the MudWing hybrid mentioned it. He couldn't say he was used to hearing Mallow say stuff like that either.

Calcite looked intrigued albeit a little disappointed. "You don't look like it," she noted.

Mallow flexed her claws, but threw her wings up to hide most of Caldera and Jackal from view. "Do you want to see if it feels like it?"

"I'm not interested in dying today." Calcite replied smoothly. She paused for a moment, seeming to be lost in thoughts. "What about the other two?"

Mallow's grunt was the only response she received.

Calcite looked over them. "I have a little task for you." She said, flicking her tail. It seemed like her voice was back to an almost forced version of kindness, too sweet to be true. It also sounded like she had the words rehearsed—there didn't seem to be much emotion behind them. "Once you fulfill it, I'll let you go. If you refuse, I have every right to kill you—three trespassers and with Burn, I assume, so I have more than one reason to."

"What do you want us to do?" Mallow asked. She lowered her wings again, instead making them pull Jackal and Caldera a bit closer to her.

"I have…someplace I want to see. And I want you to take me there."

"Where?"

"Oh, it's not far. I just want to get through the Mud Kingdom."


	14. Chapter 14 - I'm An Animus

Jackal could only imagine everything that went through Mallow's head when she heard that.

"Where in the Mud Kingdom?" Mallow asked.

"Near the rainforest," Calcite replied.

Intentional or not, Jackal knew Mallow had objections to this. Calcite couldn't have known, but still—she picked just the right spot for them to bring her.

"We can't bring you to the Mud Kingdom," Caldera said. Mallow gave her a grateful look. "That is, unless you want to get killed."

"Just claim I'm your prisoner," Calcite said.

"It's not that easy." Jackal replied, deciding he could take a turn. "We're just dragonets. Mallow's the only one big enough to qualify as an adult. We would be believed more if you said we were your prisoners."

"Which would you prefer, me to kill you, or for you to bring me someplace?" Calcite asked. "If we walked on the border of the Rainforest and Mud Kingdoms, the only problem we'd come across would be border patrols. And when we come across them, we can just go into the rainforest for a little bit. The MudWing knows how to fight; she can avoid trouble, right?"

It was hard to tell what Mallow was getting annoyed at, Calcite or the chosen destination. Eventually, she sighed. "Alright," she said. "We'll take you to the Mud Kingdom." Mallow looked at the IceWing. "But I can't promise your safety."

"Wonderful!" Calcite exclaimed, clapping a bit. "I'm exhausted, so I'll step out to my sleeping cave while you three don't do what you want. Don't wake me up if you want to stay alive. And don't think of dying unless I'm the one to kill you, in which case you are very accurate."

Once Calcite left, Mallow visibly relaxed. Then she laughed grimly. "I guess I'm not going to always be able to avoid my sibs."

"Are they that bad?" Caldera asked curiously.

"Vervain is. Flora isn't. For the most part, they're more bark than bite, but Vervain can get…a bit extreme." Mallow said, frowning now. "He's not exactly someone I want you two to meet, but we might not be able to help it. If we're lucky, they got themselves out of border patrol and we can ignore them altogether."

From what Jackal heard of Mallow's sibs, he didn't think it would be that easy.

Caldera's attention suddenly snapped to Jackal. "You never answered my question." She pointed out. "At least say if I was right or not; you don't have to explain now."

She's right, Jackal thought. He had been relieved, at the time, just a few minutes ago—now he was back wondering what he was supposed to do. Should he just tell them now? It might be easier. But Calcite might be listening. On one talon, it would make him feel a bit better. But on the other talon, Calcite might still be hearing the conversation.

"I'll tell you the whole thing if someone makes sure Calcite isn't listening," Jackal decided.

Mallow nodded, heading to stand by the entrance of the cave. It was just about as wide as she was large, so the big hybrid blocked entry and most light. She flicked her ears back to signify she was listening, and Caldera turned back to Jackal as well.

He took a deep breath. "Everything you had guessed was true, Caldera." He said, hesitant. He tried to chose his words well, even though he expected nothing but pity from the girls. "I-I'm an animus."

This got their attention. Caldera looked horrified for a moment before having the decency to change her expression to pity (even though Jackal would've preferred the former). Mallow flicked her tail, and it occurred to him that she might not know what an animus was. Eventually she looked over at him, sharing Caldera's pitied expression.

Jackal just wanted to hide. It was one thing to be pitied normally; it was another when they were pitying him because of his secret. "I found it out when I was two when I was playing make-believe. Shortly after, I realized I could enchant my blindfold to make myself see—since I don't know if it would work if I did it on myself. I didn't want to go overboard, so I limited it to black-and-white for a few feet; after that, it blurs. I didn't enchant much, just my tail, but…I still have nightmares." His voice cracked and Caldera went over to reassure him.

"I wouldn't have guessed," she murmured. "I…I'm sorry."

"You couldn't have changed it." Jackal replied, hugging her with his wing. It was more for him than her, honestly. He didn't normally enjoy it when dragons pitied him, but this was different. They were his friends.

Mallow joined them and was able to encase both of them with her wings in a hug.

Just for a moment, Jackal questioned why he had worried about telling them. This was what he had expected, sure, but it felt different. It wasn't just pity. It was sympathy. There was a reassuring difference.

Maybe someone like me can live normally after all. I might have magic, but I don't use it. I might be born blind, but as long as I have my blindfold I'd be fine. With such good friends…I wonder what I had ever been afraid of.


	15. Chapter 15 - Mallow

(A/N: The start of the third and final, part! It is upon us! Expect the story to get mildly disappointing as we get closer to the end.)

Calcite didn't come back until nightfall. Mallow was a bit glad; the IceWing reminded her of Blaze, self-centered and over-dramatic, with her constant pauses between sentences and flourishes as if she was putting on a show. As if the trio cared.

Mallow just wanted the IceWing to die or go away.

Maybe it was personal. Maybe it was just because IceWings were horrible and annoying and their scales were always cold and she liked rain and sun not coldness.

She looked down at her talons. Maybe it was personal, just not directly at Calcite but every IceWing. Tribal bias, Mallow thought, that's what happens in war.

Caldera moved a bit closer. She had fallen asleep underneath Mallow's wing—the SkyWing looked so small. Mallow was larger than average, from being bigwings of her troop and just by being large (she couldn't quite explain it, but she was about as big as the middle dragon of a nine-year-old troop of MudWings). Caldera was extremely small compared to her. It made the big-sister part of Mallow worry for the wingless SkyWing.

Jackal was laying on the other side of her. Mallow had a wing over him but his own wings prevented it from tenting over him like it did with Caldera. She couldn't directly look at him; she was still trying to take it all in. How much times had he lied, saying he was fine, and was blind, and couldn't see anything? Mallow felt a bit hurt that he never brought it up; just as much as she felt guilty for not noticing it earlier.

As Calcite entered the cave, Mallow wondered if she was imagining the newfound chill that settled over her or if her hybrid genes were just messing with her.

"Are you three done and rested now?" The IceWing asked. "Because if so, we can get going."

"It's nighttime," Mallow replied. Jackal came out from under her wing to stare at Calcite; Caldera didn't move, still asleep. "There's nothing for us to hunt. Every animal is asleep. How about we wait until morning?"

Calcite waved her talons dismissively. "Everyone's asleep by now, so we'll be able to get farther without being questioned."

Mallow just stared at her. The IceWing stepped closer, and Mallow unconsciously flinched a little. Calcite almost looked pleased.

"Fine. Let me wake Caldera up." Mallow said, lifting her wing. She almost didn't want to—Caldera looked relatively peaceful, as if she was having a pleasant dream—but she gently nudged the small, wingless SkyWing dragonet. She slowly stirred, sitting up and gently touching her bracelet to make sure it was still there. "It's time to go."

Caldera nodded sleepily, and even as Jackal sat up and positioned his tail in a threatening position, the SkyWing just huddled close to Mallow.

Mallow looked down at the SkyWing. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah," Caldera replied. She paused to yawn. "I'm fine. Just tired. I tend to sleep a lot."

Mallow nodded in acknowledgment and looked up at Calcite. She was examining her talons, looking bored. Mallow couldn't tell if she was sincere or not.

"We're all ready now," Mallow said.

"Then get up and let's go." Calcite replied, looking up from her talons. She flicked her tail. "Do you want to lead? Or do you want to keep an eye on me?"

"The latter," Mallow said. She looked back at Jackal and Caldera. "Stay close to me, okay?"

Both younger dragonets nodded. Mallow stood up and started following Calcite outside, staying a safe distance away from her tail and her scales. Jackal followed beside and behind her, occasionally walking a bit closer or brushing his wing with hers to make sure she knew he was there; Caldera walked a bit closer. Everyone had their wings—if they had them—tucked and tails close to them.

Calcite led with a sort of noise-reducing shuffle; while the other three didn't bother trying to be quiet, everything was about her was silent. But Mallow had to admit that it wasn't a threatening quietness, but closer to like when someone was just lost in thought or trying to figure out what to say next. It didn't entirely make Mallow feel better; she has friends she needs to protect, especially from the sibs that she lacked to do the same with.


	16. Chapter 16 - Conversation

Mallow kept a close eye on Calcite despite the IceWing not doing anything suspicious. Mallow knew her way around this part of Pyrrhia well enough; it was close to both of her homes, after all. She'd know if Calcite were trying to trick them by leading them, say, into an oasis town that followed Blister.

The walk was silent. As they came closer to the rainforest, it started to rain a little; Mallow held out her wings partly to shield Jackal and Caldera and partly so then she could feel it more. While, due to her being a hybrid, she wasn't actually healed by mud like other MudWings (Flora had been the only one to inherit that trait, while Mallow had changing scales, Vervain had weak venom, and Frute had a slim and small form that resembled a RainWing's), rain felt like it did the same thing. Although she learned that it didn't, she enjoyed rain just as much as a RainWing enjoyed the sun—something she learned by spying on some RainWings when she was younger. She enjoyed sun as well, but it never felt the same anymore.

From underneath her wing, Caldera whimpered. Mallow brushed her wing against the wingless dragonet's head, a gesture she learned to do instead of a normal wing brush.

Reminded of both of her friend's handicaps, Mallow found a small bit of amusement and curiosity come to her mind. Did she have something she didn't want that she couldn't change, like Jackal's animus magic or Caldera's lack of wings? A valid answer, albeit an unoriginal one, would probably be her hybridism. But that wasn't much of a problem for her—sure, her parents might still be alive and she might still be bigwings, but being the unwanted sib of a troop of misfits came with benefits. For one, she didn't have to fight in any battles—the idea behind the thought was that if she could lose to her little brother, how was she supposed to win against adults?—and when she becomes an adult, she doesn't have to join in on the breeding schedule (although that could have something to do with her mother and aunt's statuses as well). If Mallow had to chose any one thing to be sad about, it would be the fact that none of her sibs listen to her anymore. Vervain just likes being a jerk, and Flora is scared of being on the wrong side of his claws. They stopped listening to her a while ago. Nothing she could do to change that.

Mallow wondered of Calcite had something she wanted to change, but couldn't. Why else would an IceWing be in the Claws of the Clouds Mountains? Just to take in the scenery? Most likely not. From what Mallow knew, it was too hot for most IceWings to not complain about it. But Calcite didn't exactly seem like a normal IceWing. Occasionally, she would repeat things under her breath, as if rehearsing. Her dramatic flair was present when she was speaking, but right now she just looked like any other dragon. She even lost the vague sense of being threatening; Mallow was being defensive now because it was a common rule (that, and she didn't always get along with adults, even if Calcite only looked about nine).

The rainforest was in sight—Mallow had the sudden want to feel the trees dangling around her, despite the fact that she never went very far into the kingdom—when Calcite decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, MudWing…Rose Mallow, was it?" Calcite said, looking back at her. The rain suddenly felt cold and unpleasant. It was an unspoken rule to never called Mallow by her full name. She hated it—the only dragon who ever used it was her aunt Russet (who she barely knew) and Vervain, usually with a venomous tinge or when they were yelling at her. However, Mallow didn't really want a stranger to use a nickname for her, either. "You're—well—a MudWing. You have siblings there, don't you?"

"What are you trying to get at?" Mallow asked, immediately suspicious. She felt Jackal shutter a little. That was another touchy subject most dragons didn't bother mentioning. Mallow was beginning to wonder if Calcite even knew basic decency.

"I'm just trying to get to know you," Calcite replied. Mallow wasn't convinced.

"I don't care," Mallow said. "Whatever sibs I have hate me."

"That's not very characteristic of MudWings." Calcite said, flicking her tail.

We're not normal MudWings, Mallow thought bitterly. She didn't have a chance to voice the thought, however, because Jackal spoke up:

"How do you know anything about MudWings?" He asked.

"I grew up with some," Calcite replied. She acted as if everyone did—Mallow wasn't sure if she was pretending or being honest. "A troop of eight, they moved to the little island I lived on when they were still young. I think a family member or a random stranger helped them. They tried to take their parents, who were in an unsibbed group together. Neither of them wanted to go, saying it was a suicide mission. I'm sure they died soon after. One of those dragonets was in my theater group."

Calcite paused for a moment, scolding herself under her breath. "Right…Pyrrhians don't do theater. In short, it's when five to twenty dragons come together to learn lines, and then they do a play—pretend to be a fictional character swept up in an elaborate plot for the enjoyment of others."

The four fell into silence. Mallow mentally overlooked what Calcite had said—maybe it would explain her odd behavior.


	17. Chapter 17 - Talking and Pondering

(I'm counting the adult age of dragons to be eight and not seven.)

Calcite continued to explain where she grew up without any permission. She never mentioned where it was, but she said that it wasn't particularly close to Pyrrhia. The island's inhabitants valued peace above all else, wanting only the best for all the tribe; it made Mallow think of Frute, who was always the one to resolve an argument inside or outside their troop. It seemed like he would've liked it there, if Calcite was telling the truth.

Once or twice Mallow spotted a MudWing patrol and they hid for a little bit, but they were still close to the mountains, so there wasn't much other dragons. She was glad she hasn't spotted Vervain or Flora yet—if she remembered their routine correctly (that she only knew because she watched them sometimes), they were either sleeping or Vervain was drilling Flora on some battle tactic. She hoped for the former, but Vervain was the one that got more sensitive and personal when he was seen doing things that were stereotypical for RainWings. As far as Mallow knew, Flora didn't have a problem with it (she used to use it as an excuse to nap during noon, when Mallow was still bigwings), Frute basically lived by it (Mallow recalled him once saying that he had wanted to live in the rainforest when he was older…poor Frute), and Mallow herself accepted it openly around dragons she knew. Now that she thought of it, Vervain hated a lot of things concerning their heritage; the topic of their parents, the rainforest, RainWings—anything that suggested they weren't completely MudWings.

Mallow was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Caldera flicking her tail towards her wing to try to get her attention. She looked down at the small dragonet.

"Is everything okay?" Mallow asked, sounding big-sisterly as always.

"Yeah. But…what happens if we come across your sibs?" Caldera said quietly. Mallow only half recognized that she said 'sibs' instead of the normal 'sibling'; Jackal did that too, not just in reference to her own sibs but any other groups of siblings.

Jackal came a bit closer, too, but didn't say anything. Mallow reminded herself to worry about that later—this was a bit important.

"If we come across Vervain and Flora, Calcite will obviously need to hide," Mallow said. She made sure she was loud enough for the IceWing to hear, which wasn't that hard considering that she stopped talking and was now walking silently. "I want you two to do the same. He shouldn't go so low, but he might try to attack. If he does, don't do anything dumb." That last part was mainly for Jackal—besides Calcite, he was probably the most likely one to fight back. The SandWing understood and nodded.

They fell back into silence before Calcite decided it was time to rest. Her and Caldera fell asleep instantly; Jackal hesitated but eventually fell asleep too. Mallow stayed up a little bit, not entirely tired and wanting to determine where they were.

They had covered a lot of ground despite Mallow feeling like they were slow. They were near the edge of the mountains, close to the rainforest and Mud Kingdom border. With the rainforest in sight, she thought of her little home—nothing more than a typical mud mound, except for the extra leaves and twigs so everyone knew who it belonged to. It was in a nice little clearing that used to be for battle training, but now she used it to nap out in the open when it was raining or sunny. It was probably big enough to fit Mallow until she was an adult—and by then, the war would be over and she might be able to move closer to Jackal so she could watch him more (assuming he'd still need her to dragonet-sit him; if not she could just visit as a friend).

Mallow looked over at the rainforest, a part of her wanting to spend a few minutes underneath the lush canopy of leaves and trees. But she couldn't leave her friends with Calcite. She briefly considered waking up Caldera and Jackal and running away, but who's to say that Calcite won't just follow them? And if they ran into Vervain and Flora—although Mallow hated the idea—they could use Calcite as a way to get past them.

Her scales rippled into the closest they could get to the colors of fear when they had to stay brown and mud-like. She really hoped it wouldn't come to that. She didn't like the idea of relying on an IceWing to protect her friends. But she'd have to deal with it for now.

Eventually, Mallow fell asleep to the distant sound of rainforest creatures.


	18. Chapter 18 - Vervain and Flora

They got midway through the Mud Kingdom in about a week. Mallow tried her best to make sure Caldera and Jackal were fed—Calcite got her own food. Mallow wanted to make a small detour towards her home, but there wasn't much reason to.

The mostly walked in silence. Jackal still hadn't said anything since they were back at the cave, but Mallow couldn't find the right time to ask way.

The four had been walking along silently when Mallow heard familiar voices. She cursed—but she did her best to make sure no one else heard it—and turned to her traveling companions. "Hide in the rainforest until they leave," she said.

Caldera seemed to recognize her tone of voice, because she asked, "Do you know them?"

"Whenever you want to avoid someone, they always show up." Mallow replied, gently shoving her younger friends into the forest and scowling at Calcite.

The voices came closer, and she could make out bits of a conversation—or maybe it was an argument.

"I feel like they did this on purpose…"

"You're going insane. Now shut up."

"But most of the patrols that come through here are killed. And we 'just so happen' to be a pair of two. What if—"

"I said shut up. I don't care if you want to run away; we need to get patrol done to cover up your little mishap."

The voices came into view, showing two MudWings. Mallow checked to make sure her friends were hidden, then looked at the MudWings. For a second she hoped that they weren't who she thought they were—but no, they were the very same. Vervain and Flora.

Flora looked ready to retort what Vervain had said before she saw Mallow and stopped walking.

Vervain growled at her. "What are you—" he cut himself off when he followed her gaze and saw Mallow. For a second, he didn't look angry—he almost looked sad. Mallow never fully understood that reaction; it was fairly common when they ran into each other after a particularly bad battle or when she was coming back from dragonet-sitting Jackal.

"I just need to get through to the other side of the kingdom," Mallow explained. It probably wouldn't be enough for Vervain, but if Flora was already having a bad day, she might just let her go to be done with it.

Flora looked back at Vervain, seeming to ignore her older sister and instead continuing their earlier argument. "And it was your venom!" She said. "You were just going to spray it, and then others would've saw, and then Burn would come to kill us! You need to be biting the dragon, to ensure our safety and their death!"

"It was in the middle of a battle," Vervain hissed. His eyes never left Mallow's. "Everyone would've thought they were just seeing things. And you can't pay attention to anything but your opponent when you're fighting IceWings—then they sneak up on you. I would've been fine if you hadn't shoved yourself in the way like that."

"But—" Flora began. She sighed. "Never mind." She looked at Mallow and flicked her tail. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Out for a stroll? Isn't everything and everyone worth your time on the other side of the kingdom?" Her voice was venomous, but it was more hurt and bitter than the way Vervain's always was. It still made Mallow wince a little.

"I was never told exactly why, but I need to get to the other side of the Mud Kingdom." She figured Vervain would've clawed her face off if he wanted to by now, so she relied on half-truths. "And I have a young company, so I would appreciate if we can be bitter sibs later and if you could just let me through?"

"Why would we do that?" Vervain asked. "We're on border patrol—and the general idea of border patrol is to see if we find anything suspicious. Now, 'sister,' what do you think counts as suspicious? I have an idea; a MudWing who lives alone, unsibbed, walking around saying she need to get to the other side of the kingdom for moons-knows-what. Sound familiar?"

"If you need proof I actually have dragons with me, I can call them out," Mallow replied.

"Do it," Vervain said. As always, he sounded demanding and triumphant—Mallow wondered if he faked it or not, but it was hard to tell.

Mallow turned over to where her friends were hiding. "Jackal, Caldera, come on. I won't let them hurt you. The sooner we get by them, the faster."


	19. Chapter 19 - More Conversation

Caldera and Jackal slowly came out to stand beside Mallow while Calcite smartly stayed hidden.

Flora looked hurt. "See? That doesn't change anything. You're still with the only ones you care about anymore. There's no point in rubbing it in." She said quietly.

"We don't need her," Vervain told Flora. His sister nodded but still watched Mallow sadly.

It made sense that her sibs—Flora especially, since she was always a bit more emotional—would think that she left them and ignores them. But if she sought them out too much, then they'd think she was trying to become a part of the troop again.

It was complicated.

"Look, I know it seems like I don't care," Mallow tried, "But you guys don't want me. I don't want to be a part of the troop if it means annoying you guys." She held out her wings to half-hug her friends. "But I've found dragons who I can consider friends—and right now, we need to get to the other side of the kingdom. Let us through, Vervain."

"No," Vervain replied. "Because I know you still care, and I know you've found 'friends,' but you're a liar. For all we know, you're heading to the queen and handing us over to Burn. In a close-up inspection, you're probably the only one who'd pass as a full MudWing."

"When have I lied to you?" Mallow asked, desperation leaking into her voice. They couldn't sit here and do this all day. There were much better times to be arguing with Vervain.

"How about every single time you said 'It'll be alright'?" Vervain hissed. "When we were told that we needed to go into battle early, you lied. When you lost your position, you lied to Frute. When we fought that first battle, and couldn't find him…you lied. Over and over again." He was getting riled up, which was making Mallow frustrated, which made both Flora and Caldera whimper.

"I'm sorry I wasn't the bigwings you wish you had," Mallow said. She couldn't stop it from sounding a bit venomous. "But we really need to get through. We can do this another day. Just not now. Alright?"

Vervain looked too busy trying not to bite her to notice she said anything. Instead, Flora looked at Mallow.

"He's been like this a lot," she explained. "He…well, I guess all I can say is that he doesn't think highly of himself when he acts like a bigwings. And he cares, just not very noticeably. A-and I do too, but…suffice to say, we all want this war to be over." She gently nudged Vervain, who moved out of their way.

"Thank you," Mallow murmured.

Flora beamed a little. Then she looked down at Jackal and Caldera—although she wasn't that much bigger than Jackal. "But next time you come through here, don't bring little dragonets. He won't attack them, but he probably will attack you. They look a bit too young to be traumatized just yet."

Mallow might have imagined it, but she thought she heard Caldera mutter something like, "It might be too late for one of them…" accompanied by the quiet sound of her fiddling with her bracelet.

Mallow ushered her friends past her sibs, saying thanks to Flora again.

"They didn't seem to hate you too much," Caldera pointed out.

"I doubt I was high on their 'things to worry about list' if they had a rough time in battle." Mallow replied, looking down at the wingless SkyWing. "Queen Burn doesn't take well to hybrids; she tends to kill all of the hybrids she can get her claws on. I'm the only one out of the four—no, three—of us that have ever told anyone that I'm a hybrid. Vervain doesn't care as much, but he doesn't tell anyone. Flora has always been the most cautious around strangers. I trust easily—around MudWings, SkyWings, and SandWings, at least—but I don't tell anyone that I don't know or dragons I don't think can keep it."

"It's nice to know I seem trustworthy," Caldera said.

Jackal nodded in agreement, although he winced a little.

"So the MudWing's a hybrid?" Calcite asked. She was still hidden behind the other side of the trees, but Mallow could hear her perfectly. "Interesting. I've actually met a few hybrids. All of them are still alive, last time I checked."

"Where are these hybrids if they're still alive?" Mallow said despite her distrust of Calcite. The IceWing was going to figure it out sooner or later; might as well be in an argument with sibs than anything else.

"My old home," Calcite replied. She fell silent, and so did the other three.

(A/N: Wow, uh...Vervain has some problems... I think he needs a hug. Too bad that doesn't happen in this story.)


	20. Chapter 20 - Their Actual Destination

(I'm going to try to start tying up loose ends and such now, since the story will end in the next few chapters.)

Mallow was glad to find that everyone fell asleep before her and Jackal did. She took the opportunity to talk to him.

She brushed his wing to get his attention, and he looked up at her.

"Are you alright?" Mallow asked.

"You've been asking that a lot lately." Jackal replied quietly.

"I get concerned sometimes. It's a bigwings thing," Mallow said. "But you're not answering my question. You haven't talked since we were back at the cave and I would like to politely ask why."

Jackal sighed. "I'm fine," he said. "I just…don't trust Calcite."

"Welcome to the club," Mallow replied. She laughed silently. "I don't think any of us do."

"I don't trust her because she was reaching for my blindfold when we first met her," Jackal explained. "I don't really mind IceWings because my scales help keep me warm, and I don't think she'll hurt us if she haven't already. But I don't trust her."

"Because she tried to get your blindfold?"

"Because she tried to get my blindfold that was enchanted. What if she could tell? What if she already knows I'm an animus?"

"If she did, wouldn't you think she would have killed you by now?"

"You haven't heard of anything about animus dragons, have you? In the legends, dragons would use others with animus magic for wars and personal gain until they lost their soul, then they killed them. I figured if I stayed silent, maybe she'd just…forget."

"Well, don't worry about it, okay? I'll protect you. I promise."

"Thanks, Mallow."

"Any time."

With that, Jackal pulled himself into a little ball and started sleeping. Mallow rested her head on her talons and did the same.

…

It took another week for them to get to the tip of the Mud Kingdom. Mallow heard whispers about dragonets her age running around Pyrrhia, but she never stopped to listen so she didn't know who they were or what they were doing. But she could tell that dragons were starting to think it was the end of the war—the MudWings she passed seemed peppier than normal.

Most of the time all four of them walked together, Calcite taking the lead, but sometimes Mallow made the others—or Calcite, at least—hide near the rainforest so they didn't look suspicious (although they probably already did).

Calcite claimed they had reached their destination when they stopped at a cliff that gave a nice view of the Kingdom of Sea. The sun was setting, so it would one of those picturesque moments if not for the fact Mallow wasn't sure what to do next. She was perfectly aware that two of the three dragonets couldn't fly away if they were pushed off.

"Alright, you're on the other side of the Mud Kingdom," Mallow said. "Can we go back home now?"

"Wait a moment," Calcite replied. She flicked her tail. "Don't move, or I'll kill you."

Mallow was beginning to think those threats were empty, but she didn't go anywhere, just in case. Calcite dove off the edge of the cliff—Caldera stepped forward, but Mallow nudged her back. Jackal stayed silent.

It took a few minutes to Calcite came back. Mallow was, honestly, a bit disappointed the IceWing wasn't dead.

"You know how I told you I wanted to go closer to the rainforest?" Calcite mused. Mallow had honestly forgot; she was too busy making sure they made it safely. "Well…I lied."

"Will you let us go home?" Mallow asked.

"No." Calcite replied sternly. "I have something much more…fun planned."

Then she hit Mallow's head with her tail and the world went black.


	21. Chapter 21 - A Villain's Purpose

Mallow woke up and regretted it. Her head must've been bleeding at some point, because she could feel dried blood. She tried her best not to overreact.

Caldera and Jackal were on either side of her, but not close enough for her to touch or reach for. All three dragonets were tied with vines, and that plus the fact Mallow could hear forest creatures, they must've gone closer to the rainforest while they were unconscious. Caldera had vines wrapped around her snout, Jackal had vines that kept his tail closely tucked in to his body, and Mallow had vines that must've been touched by Calcite's ice breath; they were freezing. The trio also had vines tied around their talons and wings so they couldn't move or fly, just sit their awkwardly.

"Are you all up yet?" Calcite asked. Her white scales made her pretty easy to spot in the light that came in from outside. It gave her a glow, almost.

Since none of them could talk, her only answers were glares and silence.

"I guess you'd want an explanation?" Calcite was back to being theatric and Mallow hated it. Nonetheless, the hybrid nodded in response. "I'll just begin simple," Calcite continued, "so you don't get lost."

"I hatched and was raised in a peace-loving community. An entire island, dedicated to uniting the tribes despite the wars on Pyrrhia and Pantala—the latter of which you've probably never heard of, but that's not important. However…I wasn't like them. I loved theater. It was—and is—my calling. I loved it so much, it's like a second nature. I put on a lot of plays. Dragons loved me. But I fell in love with the more…sadistic side to the theatrical arts, alas. I attacked a dragonet, intending for true bloodshed rather than the fake stuff she had hiding beneath her wing—I loved it. But the adults didn't, and they sent me home. I was scolded and shunned for weeks, until I realized something: if they won't have me, why stay? So I left.

"IceWings are most common in Pyrrhia, so that's where I went. I watched battles, and participated in a few. I never actually became an official soldier—Blaze is an idiot and overall it was too dangerous. I wanted to inflict harm on others, not myself. I laid low for a few years, and I wanted to come here…then you three came along and the rest clicked.

"I wanted to come here because…well, you probably don't need to know. I like getting out and about. These past few months were fun, at least. You three aren't that bad to tease. But nonetheless, you're wondering what my intentions are, right? Suffice to say, every story needs a villain. In this one, I am that villain. My intentions were to bring you here, kill you or torture you, then bring in more dragons to do the same with. This location isn't too bad for such a thing."

Caldera growled, which surprised Mallow a little bit. Jackal looked defeated—there wasn't anything he could do besides use his magic. Mallow herself desperately wanted to leave.

"No one at home wanted me…" Calcite murmured. "No one on Freedom Island, for moon's sake, wanted me. The community where dragons that are like me and crave violence, are loved and cared for, not mocked and killed. A smile for a smile, instead of a eye for an eye. Not my parents, not my friends, not the village leaders…they all hated me for what I had done."

Mallow heard scratching and realized that Caldera was slowly working on her vines. Calcite hadn't tied her talons very tightly—probably because they were dull so she wouldn't be able to cut anything. But they SkyWing was making good progress on her snout nonetheless—and Calcite either didn't notice or didn't completely care. Jackal followed the small SkyWing's lead, albeit being a bit quieter. Mallow eventually started tugging on her vines, but it was harder since her talons were more wrapped than the other two.

Eventually Caldera got herself free. Calcite didn't do so much as twitch; she wasn't even looking in their direction. Caldera hurried over to help Jackal, and then the two youngest dragonets helped Mallow out of her chilled vines.

"We need to get out of here," Mallow whispered. "No cave has one exit. If we get caught, she would've killed us anyway. We don't have anything to lose—but if we can make it out, we can go back to Jackal's village. Or at the very least, a populated MudWing area. She wouldn't be able to follow us if we get too far."

She turned to leave, but Caldera but her tail on Mallow's to get her attention.

"Wait," Caldera said. "I want to try to talk to her."

"She'll kill you." Jackal replied, quiet but concerned. Mallow was glad he was talking again, but she'd rather be home.

"I've watched dragons die because they weren't given a chance to explain themselves." Caldera said firmly. "I just want to try to help her. She's like us. She has something that she's not proud of but can't change. I know how to cope with my deformity, my defect. Maybe I can help her do the same."

Mallow looked at Jackal, then to Calcite. Jackal didn't seem to like the idea, but he shrugged. Mallow looked back at Caldera.

"Okay, but if she turns on you, I want you both to run while I keep her here," Mallow said.

Jackal and Caldera nodded, and the trio turned to Calcite.


	22. Chapter 22 - The Story's End

Caldera approached Calcite; Mallow wasn't sure if she was more concerned about her friend's safety or the fact that Calcite hadn't moved. The IceWing went from being loud and murderous to quiet and sober in minutes.

"I know what it's like to feel like no one cares," Caldera murmured.

"Like everyone you know will hate you for what you are…" Jackal added silently.

"And how it feels to be left behind, unwanted by those you once loved," Mallow maintained.

"But there are dragons who would want to take you in, meet you, teach you, befriend you, love you," Caldera said. "I didn't think it was possible either. We all have something we want to forget, or change, or see…but we can't always do that. Everyone has that little thing that they they want to change, but they can't—for various reasons."

"Sometimes, you don't need to fix them." Jackal said firmly. "Sometimes you just need to find a group of dragons that will accept you for what you are. Other times, what you're looking at can be fixed, but with a price—literal or metaphorical. You could lose yourself trying to fix yourself."

"And if dragons can't see the good parts of you, and focus on the bad, maybe they need to find new friends, too, or find a way to fix that," Mallow said. "Those dragons could be ignored or favored—but you may have a lot in common with them. Depending on where they come from, their attitude could come from how they were raised. But the same thing could apply to you, too."

Calcite turned back to them. Mallow always imagined that when IceWing's cried, their tears either wouldn't form or turn to ice and stab at their eyes because of their ice-radiating scales. This wasn't the case, apparently; Calcite was very clearly crying actual liquid tears that dropped down to the cave floor with a quiet plop.

"No one can understand me," she said. "No one wants to understand me, because that would imply that they think like I do—they enjoy violence and bloodshed and pain like I do. You don't know what you're saying. The only thing wrong with me is that I'm listening to you!" She turned away, but Caldera bounded forward to lace a talon on Calcite's shoulder (although it only reached up to the lower half of her foreleg). Calcite didn't flinch away.

"All three of us—me, Jackal, and Mallow—have seen, heard, and been things that we wish didn't happen," Caldera said. "We could help you. As soon as the war's over and we can visit frequently, we could help you be a better dragon. We might not succeed. We might fail. But we could give you an idea of what to look for—what to expect from a dragon who truly cares." She looked back at Mallow and Jackal. "Isn't that right, guys?"

Mallow didn't want to say 'yes,' but she didn't want to say 'no,' either. She chose an answer that was a little bit of both: "I do my best to make sure my friends are safe and happy."

"Same here," Jackal maintained.

"You're lying." Calcite replied, shoving Caldera off. Thankfully, the wingless SkyWing had expected it and had gotten away before she could get hurt. "You'll just bring me to Burn for a ransom, and she'll either kill me or use my battle-happy nature against Blister and Blaze."

"What would a bunch of dragonets do with ransom money?" Mallow asked. "I don't—for lack of a better word—agree with Burn. I may not be a SandWing hybrid, but I'm pretty sure she'd like 'purity' for MudWings and SkyWings, too."

"We have no reason to be lying," Jackal said. "We're just a bunch of dragonets who want to help, by the request of their youngest friend. We have no use for whatever Burn could give us—my parents don't need it either, neither does Mallow's dead parents or Caldera's unknown parents. We'd have more reason to return you back to the Ice Kingdom."

"I never lived in the Ice Kingdom." Calcite said coldly. "I lived on Freedom Island, where everyone loved you unless you attacked someone while on the island with witnesses. Then I lived in the Claws of the Clouds Mountains, where no one was there to bother me and I could do whatever I wanted."

"How would you like to return home—wherever that may be—and then we'll come visit you when the war ends?" Caldera offered. "We'll even help bring you back. You just have to promise not to attack us—or anyone else, for that matter."

Calcite thought for a little bit. "…fine. I agree. I can't get out of this any other way, so I'll just follow you." She brushed herself off, wiped away her tears, then stood in such a position that it was hard to imagine she was just crying her heart out.

"Come on," Mallow said. She brought Jackal and Caldera under her wings and looked at Calcite. "Let's go home."

I do have family after all, Mallow thought. They still love me even though I'm a hybrid. Sometimes…sometimes I guess good friends are better than hateful sibs.

(A/N: There will be a prologue after this, so the story isn't quite over yet. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed thís story!)


	23. Epilogue

(A/N: This is in Calcite's view!)

It only took a few months for the Great War to end. Calcite didn't know much about prophecies—other than they were overused in play and story plots, of course—but she was pretty sure they didn't end two years early. At least not without outside intervention. False prophecies were fairly common in entertainment. Why not in real life as well?

Of course, as a lowly IceWing, why would she be told what a NightWing did or did not do? She didn't have anything against the tribe, but she didn't trust well.

Which brought her around to her current situation. In front of her sat Rose Mallow, Jackal, and Caldera—she liked calling them the 'deformed dragonets' to save breath. The trio had held up their offer; they visited her cave-like home a few days after Calcite heard the news from a traveling SeaWing.

Calcite wasn't in her home now, though. Instead, the dragonets had brought her to the oasis town that Jackal lived in. Here, the trio was supposed to watch her talk to dragons without being awkward or over-theatric or sadistic.

Fun.

She looked at the trio. Caldera smiled reassuringly; Jackal seemed impatient or anxious; Rose Mallow shared his expression, but she was flicking her tail a bit but was trying to look like she wanted to be there. Calcite looked out to the dragons around her. Most of them were SandWings, but there were SeaWings and IceWings here as well. Apparently, this oasis town was one of the first to re-accept dragons from all tribes. Tourist boost, maybe.

Calcite walked over to the nearest dragon, opened her mouth, then closed it again. Caldera had suggested to be strictly normal when talking to others—but being normal was so hard! She was used to acting like she was always on stage, but that seemed to be 'wrong.' It made her look bad. That hurt, but it didn't hurt enough for her to be obligated to fix it.

Thankfully (or maybe the opposite), a fellow IceWing came up to her.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

Calcite was startled for a little bit before responding: "Probably not. I don't live here."

"Neither did I 'til the war ended," the IceWing said. "I used to live on an island a ways away. It took me a night to travel from there to here."

"That sounds like Freedom Island," Calcite mused.

"That was Freedom Island!" The IceWing exclaimed. "Maybe that's where I saw ya. If you know what it is, you lived there, right?"

Calcite slowly nodded.

"What village did you live in?" The IceWing asked.

"Um…honestly, I can't remember. I moved away a while ago," Calcite admitted.

"Oh! You're Calcite, aren't ya?" The IceWing said. "I'm Siku. I think we lived in the same village."

"You're that dragon who watched me do my first play." Calcite said slowly. "And you threw roses at me when it was my final act on stage."

"Yup," Siku replied. "I was a bit sad when ya left. You were a great actress. It's a shame—you probably could've made yourself a good career."

"Honestly, that's my dream job," Calcite said. "But…no one would want an actress that actually attacked the other actors. Plus, Pyrrhia is bigger—just about two times bigger. I had more room to slip in unnoticed."

"You're welcome back to Freedom any time!" Siku said happily. "I have to get going, but it was nice catchin' up. I'll see you again soon?"

"S-sure." Calcite said, taken aback. Siku waved then walked back into the crowd, where Calcite lost him.

Calcite walked back to Caldera, Jackal, and Rose Mallow.

"That looked like it went well!" Caldera chirped happily.

"We knew each other," Calcite said. "He was probably terrified of me."

"Everyone has to start somewhere," Jackal replied.

Rose Mallow nodded. "Good job for today, though. You can go back home."

"Thanks," Calcite said. She bowed—in the same fancy way she was taught to when an act was finished. Then she walked off in the quiet footsteps she's grown to use regularly.

I can do this…I can make friends again. Things can get better…for everyone.


End file.
